Power Privatisation: NCP, BPE at the crossroads

06 September 2013, Lagos – The relationship between the Technical Committee of the National Council on Privatisation, NCP, and the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, may have gone awry as BPE is alleged to have refused to approve the meeting of the committee to discuss issues on the latest transactions in the power sector, including the inability of some preferred bidders to pay the balance of 75 per cent value of the assets they bought.

It was gathered that the Chairman of the committee, Atedo Peterside in a letter explaining to members why the committee has not held meeting for so long, said the Director-General of BPE , Benjamin Dikki, allegedly doesn’t want the meeting to hold by not giving his approval.

The letter allegedly signed by Peterside titled “Re: Update on PHCN Privatisation – Inability to convene a meeting of the Technical Committee of the National Council on Privatisation,” the BPE is keeping the committee in the dark on latest issues on privatisation of power assets

The letter written to members of the committee, said: “Many of you contacted me recently to enquire why a Technical Committee meeting has not been called to consider and deliberate upon updates on the PHCN Privatisation.

“My understanding has always been that it is the chairman of a committee that decides when it is appropriate to call a meeting, having considered possible agenda items and the need to dispense with them promptly with a view to achieving the broader objectives/mission of that committee.

“The reason we are unable to meet is because the DG of BPE, who controls the BPE’s budget and therefore releases funds to pay for hotel bills and sitting allowances, has “surreptitiously” vetoed all my efforts to convene a meeting of our Technical Committee of recent.